Once Upon A Fox
by Star Delta
Summary: The apocalypse has hit in the year 2138. Join a young woman surviving the post-apocalyptic world as she travels to Middle Earth and journeys with an odd company determined to reclaim their home. "Dwarves? What? What the hell is a Hobbit?" "Hey!" A small voice exclaimed.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

In the year 2138, the world as we knew it ended. Our technologies failed simultaneously, and we were left without our modes of transportation-other than the scarce farm animals-without a way of acquiring food, no proper lighting, no medical assistance, no luxuries…nothing.

I think I was five when that happened. It was pure chaos.

Humans broke off and formed clans, well those who didn't kill each other off. My father was the head of our clan, as he was the most experienced in surviving off the land. And in the seventeen or so years since 'The End', as people called it, our clan has been the most prosperous I've ever seen. He likes to say it's our forgotten ancestors channeling through him, they were called 'The Shawnee'.

Father explained to me when I was younger that the Shawnee were people who lived off the land, a type of Aboriginal, and that this is what helped us survive. We travelled after the herds, like the Aboriginals did. We did everything they did.

"It is a chance to begin anew, my child." My father told me not long after The End. "And in order to begin anew, we must erase everything that happened before The End, including our names. From this day forward you shall be Young Black Fox, because you are cunning and sly and your hair is black."

"What will you be called, Daddy?" I had asked him.

He was silent for a long time before he answered me, and when he did, his eyes had changed. "I will be called Tecumseh."

He taught me everything I know now. He taught me how to hunt, how to defend myself should a hostile clan attack us, how to lead, and how to utilize every part of a kill.

.

.

.

I was hunting on my own one day, silently gliding through the forest, my buckskin pants and moccasins making no noise. They prey led me deeper into the forest than I had intended for it to, for some reason it kept evading me. I wasn't sure how this was possible, I would literally be able to feel it, but then…somehow just as I touched it, my hand would slip through.

To clear up any confusion, I prefer to kill with my hands rather than a weapon. I save my weapons for cleaning my kill. Father says it's a waste of time, but I think weapons make too much of a mess, you kill a creature, then you have to carry it back to camp and the blood gets all over you. As such, I've become the most proficient in killing with hands in our whole clan.

I was just about to give up on the hunt when a noise caught my attention. Thinking it was the young buck, I snuck silently in that direction. Sure enough, there was the buck twenty yards away from me in a small clearing. I _knew_ I was going to get him this time, I just knew it.

I took my moccasins off and was putting them in the pouch at the small of my back when I noticed movement fifty yards past the buck. It was a group of men on small horses, and they were headed straight toward the deer and myself. _If they ruin my hunt…_ I seethed, narrowing my eyes.

Seconds after I noticed them; so did the buck. It froze, staring in the direction of the oncoming men. A brief thought popped into my mind, I could use these intruders to my advantage. Slowly I crept closer to my prey, thankful for being downwind. My heart began to race as it always did just before a kill, I was always excited to bring home a large catch.

My pupils dilated like that of a predatory cat as I completely focused on the deer. I watched its every movement, the subtle shift of muscles, and the flick of the white tail.

"Oh, look!" One of the men exclaimed, though I did not see which. "A deer…"

Even before he had finished speaking I had lifted from my crouch and was after the deer; who had took off at the first exclamation. It only took me moments to catch up to it and vault onto it's back. It started to buck, trying to throw me off, but I had gained a tight grip on its antlers. I let it buck for a moment, allowing me to get situated for my next move, which was to jump off forcefully whist twisting its neck to break.

It fell to the ground convulsing, and I stood, grabbing my footwear and slipping them back on. As the convulsions slowed, I re-tied my hair with a new leather bind, as the one I was wearing had fallen out during the hunt. As I stooped to bind the deer's hooves together, something cold pressed against my neck and I froze instantly.

"Stand." A deep gravelly voice ordered. I did as it said. "Face me." Once again, I obeyed.

When I was facing the owner, we both had a moment to observe one another. He was a rather short man, only a couple of inches shorter than myself, and I was not tall in the least. But what he lacked in height he made up in mass. To my eyes, he seemed very strong; he must be to carry all that metal on him. My eyes travelled to his face; he was, for lack of a better word, hairy. A moustache and beard covered half his face; his eyebrows were like two fuzzy black caterpillars covering eyes of blue. His hair was nearly as long mine, and was greying at the temples and peak. Somewhere in my mind, the word attractive floated around, and that confused me for I never would have found someone like him attractive.

When our observations were finished, he spoke again. "Speak your name, and where you're from."

"I don't appreciate having a weapon at my throat." I stated instead.

In response he pressed his blade deeper into my skin.

An elderly voice called out. "Thorin, perhaps I would be best suited in dealing with this situation." The man was tall, almost as tall as my father, and he was…_grey._ He wore grey clothes, a grey pointed hat, and had grey hair and a grey beard. In fact, the only thing that wasn't grey was his staff and leather satchel.

I pushed the sword away from my throat with the back of my hand and turned to face him, giving a sideways glance to the man 'Thorin'. "I will deal with the elder."

"Gandalf the Grey, if you will." He said, tipping his head to me.

I chuckled. "Grey indeed. My name is Young Black Fox, Daughter to Chief Tecumseh of the New Shawnee people."

Gandalf's brows furrowed. "New Shawnee people? I've not heard of them, in what region do you hail?"

It was my turn for my brown to furrow. "Um, this region, unless we've been misled for hundreds of years? The clan's territory stretches across northern Ohio, eastern Michigan, and the southern point of Ontario. You know, around Lake Erie and Lake Huron…"

"I'm sorry, my dear, but we are on the edge of the Wild. I've never heard of any of the places you named."

I shrugged, and turned back to my kill. "Whatever. Listen, I've got to get my kill back to our camp before the meat spoils, I've got nearly a three-hour trek, and with this big boy, it may take longer. It was nice to meet you, Gandalf the Grey; perhaps we shall meet again."

I tied the hooves together and took a moment to get the awkward dead animal onto my shoulder. I turned to return to the forest, and stopped dead. "Woah, what the?" I mumbled to myself. "Where the hell did the forest go?"

Gandalf must have head me, because he answered. "There was no forest, dear."

"No…" I shook my head, stupefied. "No, I _just_ ran out of the forest, right in front of you and your group, right after you spooked this buck."

The old man shook his head. "No, you and the deer appeared quite out of nowhere. I have thirteen dwarves and a hobbit that witnessed it alongside me."

"Dwarves? What? What the _hell_ is a hobbit?"

"Hey!" Someone exclaimed.

Gandalf regarded me with a pitying look in his eyes. "Oh my…Thorin…" He addressed the short man beside him—I had almost forgotten about him. "We should find somewhere to stop for the night."

Thorin held Gandalf's eyes for a few moments, then looked back to me. "Alright, I'll not have her on my conscience. She is entirely your responsibility, Gandalf." He came over and took the deer from my shoulders, ignoring my protests.

"Hmm…" The old man turned to me once more. "Come now, Young Black Fox, you shall ride with me. You are so slight, my horse shant know the difference."

**.**

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**.**

**AN:**_ So, this is a change. A story without Kagome Higurashi, and is not a Crossover. I hope you enjoy. This will be a Kili or Fili or Thorin x OC story. I just haven't made up my mind yet._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

We travelled for an hour or two, before Thorin called for a stop. Gandalf helped me to dismount his horse. I looked at my surroundings and saw we were on some sort of rocky outcropping, sheltered by some trees. "Where is my deer?" I asked Gandalf.

"Don't worry about that, Young Black Fox." He replied. "The dwarves will take care of that. Why don't we talk?"

"No, I killed it, I'll clean it." I said to him while looking for my kill. I spotted Thorin with it, heading away from where the others were setting up camp. I followed after him. "If you would like to talk, you can do so while I clean." I stood in front of Thorin as he set my deer down. "I'll clean it." I'd already taken out my cleaning knife.

He gestured for me to go ahead. I looked around for a branch to hang it from. Finding one, I asked Gandalf to hang it for me, and then slit its throat to bleed it out.

"What kind of name is Young Black Fox?" I heard Thorin ask me as I tied my hair up once more, and took out the stone I used for emergency sharpening.

I sat down and began to sharpen my knife. Without looking us at him, I answered. "The kind of name a Shawnee father gives to his daughter. What kind of name is Thorin?" I heard Gandalf snicker at this, and smiled to myself.

Thorin ignored my question. "What is a Shawnee?"

"The Shawnee is the clan I'm from. We're nothing special, just humans living off the land. We survive by following the herds, and staying by freshwater rivers and lakes." I looked up at him, only to notice I had more company. "What is a dwarve?"

Gandalf corrected me. "Dwarves is plural for dwar_f_, Young Black Fox."

I nodded and waited for an answer.

One of the short men tilted his head and frowned. "You have never heard of dwarves, Miss Young Black Fox?" This one had similarities to Thorin, only his hair was blonde and his moustache was braided.

"No," I shook my head, standing to get ready to gut the deer. "Where I'm from there are only humans and animals. No dwarves, or these hu-bit things…"

"That would be _hobbit_, my dear…" Gandalf corrected me once more.

"Mhmm…" I cut it open from rectum to throat, then turned and coughed into my arm from the noxious fumes. "Ugh…that's always the worst part…." I muttered to myself. "So? Will you tell me about the dwarves? I'd be glad to share my story after I finish with this."

The dwarves took turns telling her the history of their people. They told her of their maker or Mahal as they called him, though his name was Aulë. They told her of their clans, and of their legends and stories past. What baffled her most was the story of dwarf women.

"We're not exactly sure if they really exist, you see…they are bearded just as the men, and the looks are so similar that it is difficult to tell the difference. Some say that we dwarves just pop out of holes in the ground!" Said a ginger haired dwarf.

I giggled at this. It was similar to the situation my clan was in. Only, that the women seemed to out number the men. A lock of my hair fell into my face, I blew it away. I was nearly finished skinning, but the area that I needed to finish was too high for me to reach. I surveyed the branch that the carcass was hanging off of, and deemed it strong enough to hold my weight as well.

I removed my footwear, as not to slip while I was on the branch, and stuck my knife into a place high enough on the carcass that I could reach it when I was up there. Turning to the closest dwarf, a dark haired one, with a very short beard, I asked, "Could you push my sleeves up to my elbows? They've become hinder some."

After he did so, I ran at the tree trunk and jumped up to the branch holding the carcass. I skillfully maneuvered my way to the end.

"You are quite agile, Miss Young Black Fox." The blonde dwarf stated. "I've never seen anyone kill a deer the way you did. And now you climb a tree like it's nothing at all."

I grabbed the knife and began to finish skinning the deer. "Yes…well I've had many years to perfect these skills. A lot…of my…erugh…my clan members are envious and intimidated by this." My hand holding the branch to keep me steady slipped and I began to fall too the side, out of reflex, my legs tightened on the branch, and I was left hanging upside down. "Whew! That was a close one."

I spotted my knife on the ground; I must have dropped it while I was falling. Before I could ask for someone to pick it up, a pair of booted feet appeared in my vision. A large hand picked up my knife and placed it in my hand. "Thank-you."

I didn't bother to pull myself right side up, and finished the last few cuts to detach the hide from the body as I was. "Aha! Finished, at last! Here you go dwarves, do with it what you please." I swung myself up to sit on the branch and pushed the deer off, it landed with a large _thump_. I grabbed a cloth out of my pouch, and began to wipe my hands off. "Just, don't toss the head or whatever. I need the antlers."

A couple of dwarves took the carcass away, and I jumped down to put my moccasins back on.

"Will you tell us of your people, Miss Young Black Fox?" Asked the dwarf who rolled up my sleeves.

I nodded. "Of course. But first things first; introductions, I would like to know your names. Also, my name is Young Black Fox; there is no 'Miss'. If Young Black Fox is too much, then call me Fox."

I was then bombarded with all of the names; Fili and Kili, Oin and Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dwalin, Balin, Thorin, and Bilbo. I didn't think I was going to remember all of them, and this I told them; but I would endeavor to do my best.

"So…what exactly is it that you wanted to know?"

"What are your people like?" Kili or Fili asked me…the blonde one.

"Well…we are wanderers, I suppose. Hunters and gatherers, you could say." I took a seat by the fire they had constructed. "But we weren't always like that, and we weren't always split into clans. Around seventeen years ago, the world as my parents and elders knew it ended. Everything was so advanced, there were these things called cars, and they were used to travel long distances in a short amount of time as opposed to days or weeks.

"There was light without fires, and you could talk with someone far away on something called a cell phone. And the cities were _huge_! We pass them as we travel, they don't look like much now, but my father told me that the buildings were so tall that they touched the sky and were called skyscrapers. Apparently they could house up to a thousand people." I smiled; I didn't remember much of this, as I was just a young child. "And then one day, everything just stopped. There was no more light without fire, and the food supplies dwindled in the cities, so everyone had to wander and learn to kill to feed their families. A lot of people went mad and started killing off other humans…I think it must have been some sort of sickness of the brain that affected the weak minded."

I shook my head. "To be honest…it terrified me. Luckily, my father was taught survival skills, and he took my mother and I, and some family friends far, far away from all the chaos and taught us how to survive. That's when he decided to create our clan, and he named it after our Ancestors from hundreds of years ago.

"He told me that this was a chance to begin anew, and that I should forget everything that came before 'The End' as everyone called it, even my name—which I actually can't really remember…it was something like a fruit. Melon-something….Melonsay…Melondie….Melanie, that's what it was…my name used to be Melanie. To be honest I much prefer my name now to back then."

"Why would he call you 'Young Black Fox'?" Gandalf inquired.

"Because it is a Shawnee name." I shrugged. "And he said I was cunning, and sly like a fox…and my hair is black. Anyways, during the last seventeen years, the clan has grown from just a few of us, to hundreds."

One dwarf, Bofur I think, spoke up. "So, if you're the daughter of a chief, you're kind of like a princess…right?"

"No." I shook my head. "No, I'm just his daughter. Besides, where I'm from, there hasn't been any true Kings and Queens for over four hundred years. The only time you hear of them is when you're a child and your parents are telling you a bedtime story."

"Do your people have songs?" Bilbo, the hobbit, asked. "Would you sing one?"

"Of course we have songs, but I'm afraid I'm not the best songstress, so it would be best if I didn't sing."

"Nonsense!" the hobbit exclaimed. "If you speak with such a lovely voice, you should be able to sing with one too."

"Uh…"

"Hear, hear! It's been some time since we've heard a lovely singing voice!" Gloin or Oin said. "If you sing one for us, we shall sing one for you."

"Oh…well in that case…no."

Gandalf chuckled. "Come now, Young Black Fox, they aren't all bad. We won't judge. Sing us a song of your people."

I sighed and grumbled out, "I suppose…though, the only one I can think of now, it the one my mother sang to me and my father before she died." I didn't bother standing, but I did sit straighter.

_Pray God you can cope,_

_I stand outside this woman's work,_

_This woman's world…_

_It's hard on a man,_

_Now his part is over._

_Now starts the craft of a father._

_I know you have a little life in you yet,_

_I know you have a lot of strength left._

_I know you have a little life in you yet,_

_I know you have a lot of strength left._

_I should be crying but I just can't let it show._

_I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking,_

_Of all thing things I should have said that I never said,_

_Of all the things we should have done that we never did_

_Of all the things I should have given but I didn't._

_Oh darling,_

_Make it go,_

_Make it go away._

_Give me these moments back,_

_Give them back to me._

_Give me your little kiss,_

_Give me your hand._

_I know you have a little life in you yet, _

_I know you have a lot of strength left._

_I know you have a little life in you yet,_

_I know you have a lot of strength left._

_I should be crying but I just can't let it show._

_I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking,_

_Of all the things we should have said that we never said,_

_Of all the things we should have done that we never did,_

_Of all the things that you needed from me,_

_Of all that things that you wanted for me,_

_Of all the things I should have given but I didn't._

_Oh darling,_

_Make it go…_

_Just make it go away, now._

It was silent for a time after I finished, and I cleared my throat. "I warned you that I couldn't sing."

Gandalf reached over to me from where he was sitting, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "My dear, your voice is lovely. I think though, that you may have sung too beautifully. It was a very heartfelt song, look—they all have tears in their eyes."

I looked over the dwarves and realized that they _did_ have tears in their eyes. "Um…"

.

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**AN:**_ Song is 'This Woman's Work'. If you listen to it, it's the one sung by Gwyneth Paltrow because her voice is the ideal singing voice I had in mind for Young Black Fox. And a side note; if you haven't seen She's Having a Baby (1988) with Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, you should watch it, that's where I learned of this song._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

I cleared my throat once more. "So, uhm…any more…questions?"

"What other talents do you possess?" Thorin asked from where he stood nearby. "We've seen you have some skill with your hands. Can you wield a blade? An axe?"

I snorted. "Obviously I have skill with a blade, how else would I have taken care of that deer? With my teeth? I tend to not use them as often, though. I'm most proficient killing with my hands."

"Killing with your hands won't get you very far in these lands." Thorin retorted.

"You've never seen my skill, aside from killing that deer—which was nothing, by the way—so I'll forgive your lack of faith, for now…" The light of day began to fade, and the company of dwarves began to settle down for the night.

"Young Black Fox, my dear," Gandalf called. "Come help an old man."

It turns out, Gandalf actually didn't need any help, he just took me aside so that I wouldn't get in the way of the Dwarves routine. I sat by him as he smoked his pipe, and observed the dwarves milling about around me, trying to remember who was who.

Dwalin and Balin were easy. Dwalin was gruff and bald, with a tattoo on the top of his head. Balin was the sweet old one with white hair, and quite possibly the shortest. The two brothers were almost always with Thorin.

Oin and Gloin were also pretty easy. Oin had this weird metal horn that he stuck in his ear, I assumed that he couldn't hear well. Gloin was the ginger with a lot of hair, as opposed to Bombur; the fat one, who was bald only on the top of his head, and could almost jump rope with his odd beard.

Bofur was a happy dwarf, while Bifur had something stuck in his head and was difficult to understand.

Nori, Dori, and Ori were all rather polite and kept mostly to themselves.

Now, it was Kili and Fili that I spent the most time observing. The more I observed them, the more they began to resemble Thorin. I said as much to Gandalf, and he just chuckled at me. "Of course they do, Young Black Fox. Fili and Kili are Thorin's sister-sons, if there weren't any resemblance I'd have been shocked." Ah, so they were Thorin's nephews. That explained the almost hero-worship they gave him.

They were, all three of them, very handsome—in a rugged kind of way. That appealed to me, somehow…and it was very disconcerting. I'd never actually noticed the opposite sex before, in the way that women my age would notice, so the tingles in my stomach I got when I caught the eye of one of them was very surprising—though not entirely unwelcome.

Fili and Kili were over by the ponies, removing the saddles and setting out the feedbags. Fili shoved Kili hard enough that he stumbled back a few feet and fell on to his bottom, they both laughed and shared some words before Fili grabbed Kili's hand and hauled him up again. They both looked in my direction, and when their eyes caught mine, the tingles began anew. I held their stares for as long as I could and still be calm, my heart thumping wildly. When I could take it no more, I turned to the strange creature that quietly sat next to me.

Bilbo looked quite out of place with these dwarves. "Bilbo, if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing with these dwarves? You seem so out of place…"

The hobbit winced, but smiled at my question. "I agree with you, Young Black Fox, I am out of place. However, these dwarves seem to thing I am a burglar, an want me to steal something from a dragon that had overtaken their home in the mountain."

"Can't they do that themselves?"

Gandalf, who had been silently listening to us as he smoked his pipe, cut in. "Hobbits are notorious for being light on their feet, and quite difficult to notice. Dwarves, however, as you may or may not have noticed stomp and tromp and are otherwise very noisy. Besides, the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, whereas it has probably never smelt a hobbit in its entire life."

I nodded. The dwarves _did_ make an unnecessary amount of noise. "They are loud. I don't think even _I_ could make that much noise, even if I tried."

"Are you hungry, lass?" Bofur asked, tromping (just as Gandalf had said) his way over with two bowls of stew. "I brought some food for your and Mr. Baggins here."

I smiled at him as he handed me the bowl. "Thank-you, Bofur."

Dinner was a rowdy affair, though Bilbo assured me that it was normal. Afterwards, the dwarves sang the song they had promised me and I found myself sympathizing with them, for though our ordeals were different, we were still in the same position; searching for a permanent home.

After the song, all of the pipes were whipped out, and they sat in a contemplative silence, a murmur of conversation sounded here and there. Soon enough, I found myself nodding off into a relatively peaceful sleep.

.

.

.

I woke with a jolt, my hand whipping out the dagger I kept hidden in a section of my pants. I looked around and found that most of the camp had been woken by the same shrill shriek that had stolen sleep from me.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked Kili and Fili, who were stirring the fire.

Kili looked at Bilbo, and murmured one word. "Orcs…"

What was an orc?

"There will be dozens of them out there," Fili said. "The low-lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours of night, when all sleep…" Kili told Bilbo solemnly. "Quick and quiet…no screams…just lots of blood."

Bilbo paled, and for a moment I thought he was going to be sick. Then Thorin stood and scolded his nephews. "You think this is funny?" He asked them, as they snickered to themselves. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it, uncle…" Kili apologized.

"Of course you didn't. You know nothing of this world." He spat bitterly.

The brothers watched as their uncle stormed off, and I could tell they instantly regretted what they had said and that they had disappointed their uncle.

Balin walked over to them. "Don't worry about him, lads. Your uncle has more reason than most to hate the orcs." He assured them, and began telling a story of how the dwarves went to battle against the forces of orcs at the entrance of a place called Moria. The leader, Azog the Defiler, had beheaded the previous king—who had been Thorin's grandfather—which had spurred Thorin on to face him with nothing but a sword and the branch or an oak tree as a shield. Azog fled, and Thorin was now called Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain.

"W-well," Bilbo stuttered. "What happened to the Pale Orc?"

At this, Thorin turned back to the group. "He crawled back into the hole from whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago."

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.

.

The next morning we set off as the sun rose, and I was once again riding with Gandalf. We did not speak, and I took in our surroundings. We had come down from the small rocky hill that we had rested on the previous night, and were now riding through a wooded area.

A couple of hours after we set off, the sun hid behind the clouds and I could smell the tell tale signs of oncoming rain.

"What's that?" I heard Bilbo ask from somewhere in the middle of the company.

"What is what, Mr. Baggins?" One of the dwarves asked.

I looked behind me and saw the hobbit pointing off to the right and up ahead. "That there; weaving through the trees. It looks like a man."

I turned my eyes and immediately saw what he was pointing at, though I had to squint my eyes to make sure I was seeing correctly. "Father?" I muttered to myself, but I'm sure Gandalf heard me.

After looking on for a moments more, I was absolutely certain that it was my father, and even some of the other men from the clan. Without another moment's hesitation I tore away from the group, ignoring Thorin and Gandalf's shouts. Father had begun walking away from me, and I could see him heading deeper into the woods.

"Father, wait!" He did not listen.

"Fox!" I heard Gandalf call, followed by the thundering of hooves. I continued to follow my father as his pace sped up.

I turned as I ran, and saw several of the others had followed me. "It's alright! This is my—ahhh!" I screamed as I turned to face my father, who had stopped and was kneeling by a body. My body. I ran up to it.

It was wearing the same exact thing I was wearing now, the only difference was that I was clean and _it_ was covered in dirt and blood, throat ripped out, and eyes open and sightless. I turned to face my father, whose eyes were filled with tears. "Dad?" I approached him slowly. "Dad, that's not me. I'm right here…"

I reached out to take is arm, but my hand slipped right through. I tried again, and received the same results. It was then I realized, I couldn't hear his sobs.

"Enough, Young Black Fox." I heard Gandalf next to me. "He cannot hear you, nor can he see you. You are dead to him now."

I looked up to the old man, now noticing that it had begun to rain. "But I'm…I'm right here…I'm still alive—right?" I felt so lost.

Gandalf put his arm around my shoulders and began to guide me away from the gruesome sight. I was able to take a few steps before my knees buckled beneath me.

I'm not sure what happened after that, I kind of when numb to everything around me. Someone picked me up, and placed me on a horse or a pony. We rode on through the day, and whoever I was with kept whispering reassurances in my ear.

When we stopped for the day, I was helped off of the animal and led to a place to sit down. I wasn't sitting there long before I noticed Gandalf storm past.

"Gandalf?" Bilbo asked. "Where's he going?"

"To spend time with the only person in this company with any sense!" the old man snapped.

"Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins. I've had enough of the stubbornness of dwarves for one day."

I stood in a panic and made after the wizard. He was the only one I could truly feel comfortable with. I hand on my shoulder stopped me from going forward, and I looked back to see Kili shaking his head. "Just leave him be, he'll come back. Are you feeling a bit better, Fox? Would you like to help Fili and I with the ponies?"

Perhaps I had been wrong, thinking that Gandalf was the only one I could be comfortable with. For the short amount of time I'd been with them, the two princes had been very welcoming. "Um, okay."

The two lit up, and Kili placed a couple of reins in my hands. "Great, follow me. Not too close though, or the ponies might kick."

We led all the ponies to an area not too far from where the others were setting up camp. The brothers retrieved the feedbags and set them out for the animals to eat. I wandered a little bit away, wishing to gather my thoughts.

What had happened earlier today? Was I truly dead? The body was at least a day or two into decomposition. So it was probable, I mean I've been in this strange land for about that time. Did that mean that this place was the afterlife, and how could I pass into it without knowing? My throat had been ripped out, for goodness sake!

_Or,_ I thought, a memory of a story my father told me coming to my mind. _Maybe the old beliefs were true, and my soul decided to wander._ Maybe I died instantaneously, and that's the reason why I didn't feel anything. When my body died my soul travelled via that strange forest and came here, and perhaps the gods of this world granted me a body when I passed the boundary of the spirit world, that's why I seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

_Or it could be a freak accident_, the more rational part of my mind said. I rubbed at my arms, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in my skin. I turned, intent on returning to camp.

"Fox! Young Black Fox!"

"Hm? Oh, Kili, hello."

Kili stopped in front of me after jogging over from where he was. "Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank-you."

He looked into my eyes and I had to fight to not look away. "Are you sure? You know; if you need to talk or anything, you can always come to me. And Fili of course…"

I smiled and placed my hand on his arm in thanks. "I'll be fine, Kili. Really, but thank-you for the offer."

Kili cleared his throat, and looked away. "Right…Well, I've got to…count the ponies, yes, count the—excuse me."

I watched him walk away, wondering at his strange behavior, and then I continued on my way to the camp. The dwarves were all settling down to eat, Bofur scooping dishes for everyone. He looked up from what he was doing and saw me approaching. "Ah, there ya are, lass. Here get some food inta yer belly, ye'll feel much better."

I accepted a bowl but before I could even take a bite, Thorin's gruff voice called me out.

"Fox, where've you been?"

"I was coming to terms with what I discovered today." He face, which was stern before I answered, softened slightly.

"Do not wander off from the group without telling anyone."

I pushed some hair that had fallen in my face behind my ear, but it just fell again. Huffing in annoyance, I nodded at his order.

"And you should do something about that hair. If we are attacked and it falls into your eyes, you won't be able to see the enemy."

"I would gladly do so, but my hair had a mind of its own…"

Thorin placed his empty bowl down and approached me. Standing behind me, he turned my head to face forward and immediately started tugging on my hair. I did not ask what he was doing, nor did he offer any explanation.

I watched the dwarves milling about around the fire, noticing Bofur handing two bowls to Bilbo, and the little hobbit taking off—most likely to Fili and Kili.

"What am I going to do, Thorin?" I asked, my question catching the attention of some of the other dwarves nearby, namely Dwalin and Balin.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean; what am I going to _do_? It's been made quite clear that there is no returning to where I came from. I'm trapped in a land that I know nothing of, with creatures I've never even heard of…"

"Well, that's easy, lass." Balin said. "We came upon you, so you'll stay with us. Thorin agrees, don't you, Thorin?" The white bearded dwarf gave the one behind me a knowing smile.

"Mmm." With one last tug, he finished with my hair.

Just then, Fili and Kili came running back into camp. "Trolls!" They yelled together.

The camp went quiet.

"Where is the hobbit?" Thorin asked.

The brothers looked at each other. "He thought he could steal back the ponies that the trolls stole from us." Fili answered.

Somehow I doubted that this was the case because the look that those two shared said otherwise.

"That fool is going to get himself killed!" The dwarf king fumed. "Dwarves, with me. Fili! Kili! Lead us to the troll camp." I stood up, ready to go with them, when Thorin shot me a look. "Fox, you'll stay here and watch the camp, we'll return soon."

I wanted to argue, but his tone of voice had me frozen to place. So, obediently, I stayed and watched as the dwarves slunk into the wooded area. I wouldn't lie, I was curious to see what a troll looked like, but now that I was a part of this group, I was probably best that I listened.

I waited for what seemed like forever, the fire had dwindled, and I put a few more small branches in it to keep it going. Looking up at the moon, it told me that dawn was another couple of hours away. Where were they?

Against my better judgment, I stood up and left the camp, going in the direction they did. I'd never tracked anything during the night, so it was proving difficult, but soon I could see the tell tale signs of a fire, and then the shouts of the dwarves. I crept ever closer to the clearing where the fire was, and what I saw made me want to both run in the opposite direction and laugh my head off.

There were three great hulking beasts in a circle around the fire. They were the ugliest things I have ever seen before, in my life. They were discussing how they were going to cook the dwarves, who were split in two groups. One group was on a spit over the fire, and the other was on the ground, tied up in sacks.

I approached the boulder nearest to where the dwarves in sacks were, trying to stay out of sight. As I climbed, I heard Bilbo shout at the trolls. Something about how they were doing it all wrong. I jumped as I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turning to see the owner, I saw it was Gandalf! He'd returned. He placed his finger to his lips, making sure I stayed silent. "Fox," he whispered. "I need you to help Bilbo stall for time."

I nodded, not entirely sure why. But if he had a plan to save the dwarves, I'd gladly go along. I turned back to the trolls, who seemed to be getting irritated with what the hobbit was saying.

"What a load of wubbish!" One said.

I climbed to the top of the boulder, and when I saw one of the big uglies going for Bilbo, I did possibly the stupidest thing ever. "Yoo-hoo! Hey, ugly!"

All three trolls turned to face me.

"Wots that?"

"It looks tasty!"

"Can we eat it?"

The one closest to me, reached out to grab me from the rock, and I jumped away. This led to all three of them scrambling to get me. I knew I should be frightened for my life, but the way they bumbled about had me laughing. "Haha! You three are so stup—ahh!"

I had let my guard down and one of them caught my left leg, and proceeded to dangle me upside down and shake me a little as it did a little jig. "I cots it! Bert, William, I cots it!"

I felt like I was going to lose my dinner. "Let. Me. Go! You big oaf!"

"Wot? Do you take us for fools?"

I was about to answer when Gandalf appeared on the largest boulder and shouted, "The dawn will take you all!"

I wasn't sure what happened next, because the troll that held me whipped around so fast that I could feel my brain rattle in my head. There was a large, booming noise, and then the large hand holding my leg solidified to stone.

"Gandalf!" The dwarves cried.

"Ugh…" I moaned, suddenly feeling light headed. "Get me down, I'm going to vomit."

Gandalf came to me then, and tugged my leg out of the trolls grasp. When I was finally right side up, I stumbled to the bushes and proceeded to expel my stomach and pretty much all of my insides.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Once all the dwarves were free of their restraints, and I was finished vomiting, we went back to camp to gather our supplies and the ponies.

"What were trolls doing so far from the mountains?" Thorin asked Gandalf.

"I'm not sure, they must have come down from the Ettenmoors."

"That is no short distance."

"Indeed, which means, there must be a cave near-by."

I stood awkwardly with the ponies, not having anything of my own to pack up. I jumped when a hand was placed on my shoulder. "Hey, Fox. Are you all right? That troll shook you quite a bit." Kili asked me.

"I'm all right." I smiled. "A bit hungry though, I think I got rid of everything in my stomach earlier."

He laughed, and I blushed. "I suspect you did. What you did back there was pretty brave…you and Bilbo."

Laughing, I nodded. "Yes, well…you all were about to become troll food."

"By the way, who braided your hair?"

"Thorin did, so it wouldn't hinder my sight."

Kili's eyes widened in surprise. "Thorin did? Well, they look nice. Braids suit you, Fox. You could almost pass as a female dwarf, only you're slightly taller, more attractive, and you don't have a beard."

That comment confused me. "I'm going to take that as a compliment…"

Thorin called to the company just then, telling us to get ready to travel.

"Of course it was a compliment!" Kili assured me as he mounted his pony. "Will you ride with me today? I'd like to hear more of your clan."

"Now, now brother. Don't hog her all to yourself." Fili came up next to us on his pony. "You rode with her all day yesterday. I think it's my turn to ride with Fox."

"I asked her first, Fili!" Kili argued.

"That doesn't matter, you already rode with her!"

"Umm…" I started to back away from the bickering brothers.

"She'll ride with me." Thorin's voice came from behind me. He held out his hand to me and hauled me up behind him.

"Uncle!" The brothers whined together as we rode away.

I was silent for several moments. "Thank-you, Thorin."

He turned his head, acknowledging that he had heard me. "For what?"

"For allowing me to join you and your company."

"Think nothing of it." He replied. We travelled in silence for some time before he spoke again. "You would make a good she-dwarf."

Something stirred in me at that little confession. "Kili said something similar…"

"Did he?"

"Yes. Though, I think he was complimenting my looks."

"Indeed, female dwarves tend to be rather masculine." He chuckled.

It wasn't long before we came across the smelliest cave ever. Thorin and I dismounted the pony we shared, and he ordered a rest. "Dwalin, Bofur, Gloin, Dori, you will come with me and Gandalf. The rest of you rest here."

The six of them stalked off to explore the cave, and I went to speak with the little hobbit. "Are you alright, Bilbo?"

The hobbit looked at me. "Oh, yes…yes, I'm fine, Fox. Aside from being covered in troll snot, all is well."

I grimaced, that sounded disgusting. "Ew…"

He laughed. "Yes, that was my exact thought when he sneezed on me."

"What's the Shire like, Bilbo?"

"Green." He said automatically. "Peaceful, and quiet. Everyone is friendly. I rather miss it."

I tilted my head. "If you miss it, why are you with the dwarves?"

"I was drafted to be their burglar." I nodded, though it wasn't much of an explanation. "Enough of me, I'd like to hear more of you. You told us of your people, what of your family?"

"Well, there's not much to tell, really." I pulled out a prong from antler I had taken from the deer's rack and began to fiddle with it. "There was just my mother, father and I… until mother died."

"Tell us of her, then. You speak of her fondly." Fili said from nearby.

I looked up, slightly startled. "I was very fond of her." Returning my gaze back to the prong, I began to speak of her. "She was called 'Mother Cheetah', have you ever seen a cheetah? No, I suppose there are none here in this world. They are predatory cats, much bigger than the ones people keep as pets. They are fast, extremely so, and protective of their young.

"My mother shared much of the same characteristics, which is why my father gave her that name. And it seemed appropriate because both she and the cheetah came from the same continent, 'Africa'. She was graceful and patient, which is also a trait she shared with the cheetah." I smiled remembering a moment in time when mother actually lost her patience. "Though, there was one instance when her patience had run out. When I was perhaps eight or nine, I had taken it upon myself to become an adventurer. I skipped all of my lessons and chores, I was always dirty and trailing dirt and guck everywhere, and I never listened to my parents."

"Hey, Kili, that sounds like you, when you were younger!" Fili joked, shoving his brother lightly.

"Yes, well…she had told me numerous times to go to my lessons, do my chores, take a bath every evening, and all very patiently. Eventually, she took away my toys and forced me to do everything, always had her eyes on me. When I got a chance, I escaped her and ran off…" My smile dimmed a bit. "Of course, she came after me…I had never seen her so angry before. She was yelling at me and dragging me back to our summer encampment, and I was putting up a terrible fight, and then…" That's when everything went downhill, and my life changed. "We were attacked. She protected me and was wounded badly…then she got ill and died a few months later."

Bilbo placed a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry to hear that…"

"That's alright, Bilbo. Besides, she still lives on in the clan. We had feasts every seventh day, and she would always sing the same song with several people. After she died, they continued to sing it. It's become tradition to sing it at all of our feasts."

Bilbo was about to ask me to sing it when the others came back from the troll cave. Thorin I noticed had a new sword, Gandalf did as well. "Fox," Thorin motioned to me at the same time Gandalf did Bilbo. "Here, take these. You said you had skill with the blade, but I hardly think that little carving knife of yours will provide any sort of protection." He handed me two long and slightly curved, identical knives.

I took them graciously, and unsheathed one. It was a work of art, never had I seen a blade so beautiful in my life. Re-sheathing it, I looked up again to Thorin. "Thank-you, I believe these would be much better to protect myself with."

He nodded. "No need to thank me, as the one responsible for you, it is up to me to make sure you have everything you require."

"Something's coming!" Someone yelled.

The company ran to gather in a large circle, Bilbo and I at the center, weapons out and at the ready. We waited for a few moments for the danger to come upon us, and when it did, I almost laughed. A sled pulled by giant rabbits crashed through the foliage. Behind the sled was an odd looking man with a bulbous nose and bird droppings running down his face.

"Radaghast!" Gandalf exclaimed, how did he know this weird person?

The two old men went off to talk in hushed voices, and the rest of the company relaxed visibly, though we all stayed reasonably close.

Very suddenly, I had the very familiar sensation of being uncomfortable in my skin. I rubbed my hands down my arms to get rid of the feeling, but it persisted. It was then I noticed that my nose was beginning to stuff up. I frowned. _This is not the best time to get sick_. I was not familiar with the plants of this land, so I couldn't use any to stop the oncoming illness.

Fili stepped up next to me, a concerned expression on his face. "Fox, are you feeling alright?" He went to touch my shoulder, but I stepped back. "You're looking a bit pale."

Me, pale? My skin was rather dark, so that was quite a feat. "I think I might be coming down with a slight cold. I'm sure it's nothing."

Fili looked skeptical, but said nothing as I smiled at him.

My smile fell though, at the sound of a strange howl.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked sharply.

Bofur stepped forward. "Wolf? That is not a wolf."

Gandalf snapped his gaze to Thorin. "Who did you tell of your quest, but you kin?"

"No one."

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one, I swear! What in Durin's name is going on?"

Gandalf growled. "You are being hunted, by an orc pack."

Bilbo squeaked. "Orc pack?"

The company became a flurry of activity, and I just stood there.

"Kili, the ponies!" Thorin yelled to his nephew.

Before Kili could even take a step, Ori shouted from a ledge above. "They've run off!"

Thorin turned back to Gandalf, almost hopeless.

It was then that the strange man, Radaghast spoke up. "I will lure them away."

I raised my eyebrows as Gandalf turned to him. "These are Gundabad wargs. They will outrun you!"

Radaghast smirked, as if he had a naughty secret. "_These_ are Rhosgobel rabbits. I'd like to see them try."

Before I knew it, I was running closely behind Gandalf, the knives Thorin had given to me clutched in each hand. I could hear Radaghast hooting and hollering in laughter as he led the orc pack on a fast paced chase. We broke free of the trees and ran through waist high grass, hiding behind giant rocky outcroppings when we needed to. This went on for some time, and at one point Thorin asked Gandalf where he was taking us, though he received no answer.

We stopped and hid behind one of the outcroppings. I bent at my waist, trying to get my breathing under control. I haven't been this out of breath since I was a child, and the pain…my head ached, my bones ached, and my skin felt as if it were on fire.

Suddenly, Kili stepped out from the rock and shot at something on top of it. Two hideous creatures fell, and the dwarves set about attacking them, hacking at them with axes and swords. It made an awful lot of noise, and by the tone of Gandalf's 'Run!' I was sure that the rest of the pack of hideous creatures had finally caught onto our trail.

We ran after Gandalf, but soon we were surrounded, the creatures coming at us from all angles. I unconsciously followed the grey wizard as he struck away from the group and headed towards a small collection of boulders. We ran amongst them, and I suddenly found myself sliding into an underground cavern.

Finally I was able to catch my breath. My knees trembled, and I struggled to remain standing; grabbing hold of the rock wall closest to me. My head began to spin, so I closed my eyes and focused on my still ragged breathing. An uncomfortable burning was making it's way up my legs, though I pushed that sensation to a corner of my mind, thinking it was only because of the constant running.

I coughed, felt as though I was coughing up needles, and it sounded not unlike a dog. I coughed again, and again. Then I tasted iron. I brought my hand up to my mouth as I coughed again, and when I brought it away, it was covered in blood.

A strange yelping came from nearby, but I ignored it. The burning had gotten stronger, and _that_ I could no longer ignore. It had travelled up my torso and to my arms. I began to panic, what on earth was happening to me? I was incredibly healthy, and hardly ever caught a sickness, and when I did it was only ever a sniffle; nothing to this extent.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up into the concerned blue-grey eyes of Gandalf. He said something, but the yelping drowned his words out. It was then I realized; the yelping was coming from me.

.

.

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**AN_: _**_The next chapter will be in third-person POV, so there will be more KILI, FILI and THORIN! Yea! I'm in lust with all three of them. If it were actually possible that somewhere in the universe there was Middle Earth and I could travel there via wormhole or some weird circumstance...I totally would...only if the dwarves looked like the actors who played them...I'd jump their bones numerous times._


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